Pushpendra Singh is an Indian actor, director, producer and script writer, who has appeared in several Hindi short and feature films, including Lajwanti (2014), Maru Ro Moti (2019) and Laila Aur Satt Geet (2020).
Wiki/Biography
Pushpendra Singh was born in 1978 (45 years old; as of 2023) in Saiyan Village, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. He completed his education in 1996 from Birla High School, Pilani, Rajasthan. Thereafter, he studied at Jivaji University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Later, he joined Lucknow University and received his Masters in Tourism Management in 2001. In 2006, he moved to Pune, Maharashtra, to study at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII); he took acting courses there until 2008.
Photos of Pushpendra while studying at FTII
Pushpendra said in an interview that he developed an interest in directing films after working as a theater artist in Delhi. He said,
Working with Barry John’s theater company in Derry, we not only performed but even directed small performances based on certain themes. Barrie introduced us to films outside India and from then on I became interested in directing a film one day. “
Later, Pushpendra participated in Berlinale Talents, a talent development program of the Berlin International Film Festival, and received a degree in film production in 2011. Before starting a career as a film producer and actor, Pushpendra worked as a professor at FTII for some time.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′10″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: dark brown
family
Parents and siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
wife and children
His marital status is unknown.
Profession
In 2009, he played the role of Janat and the carpenter in the Hindi drama Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniya, which won the Venice Horizon Award Special Mention at the Venice Film Festival. In 2011, he played the role of Imran in the movie “Trishna”. In the film, he shared the stage with popular actress Freida Pinto.
Pushpendra Singh interacts with film crew
In 2014, he directed the Hindi film “Lajwanti” for the first time and participated in the production, acting and script writing of the film. The film is inspired by the 14th century Kashmiri poet Lalleshwari, also known as Lalla or Lal Ded, and is set against the backdrop of the Kashmir conflict. The film was screened at many film festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival, and Quanzhou International Film Festival in 2020.
Plaque showing the movie Lajwanti at FTII 2014
In conversations with the press, he claimed that he obtained part of the financing for the film through a campaign involving donations from the public, both during production and after the film was completed.
In the same year, he appeared in a short film titled Chaita Ki Ek Dupahari, a Summer Afternoon. In 2017, he played a militant leader in the film Bioscopewala. He directed and wrote the film “Ashwatthama” which was released in the same year. The film was screened at Busan International Film Festival, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and Dharamshala International Film Festival. In an interview, Pushpendra talked about the film and said:
It starts with religion…how we view religion, the way it shapes us and affects us. This is all my memory. I grew up in Chambal. The whole movie was like a dialogue with myself. How I was affected…it affected me both positively and negatively. This movie talks about how religion can be abused and can also be a support during our lowest moments. It can also help you overcome difficult times. You have things to do every day and rituals to complete every day that will keep you focused. “
Pushpendra Singh at international film festival
He directed and wrote the script of the hybrid film Maru Ro Moti in 2019. He also directed and wrote the script of the 2020 film Laila Aur Satt Geet. In 2023, he starred in the short film “Night Burger”. In the same year, he directed and wrote the film Ajmer 92. The film is based on the true story of a large-scale crime in Ajmer in which more than a hundred high school and college-age girls were gang-raped and extorted. An Islamic group called Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind urged the Indian government to ban the film in June 2023. The organization’s president, Maulana Mahmood Madani, claimed that the film had the potential to create division between Hindus and Muslims in the country. Speaking about it in an interview, he said:
Films and social media are used to link criminal activity to specific religions, which is certain to harm our common heritage. Chishti Ajmeri is known as the messenger of peace and harmony in the country. “
Pushpendra defended the screening of the film, saying it showed reality and not a propaganda film as claimed by the Ulama Shinde Association president.
Awards
- In 2020, Pushpendra Singh won the Netpac Award at the state-wide film festival for his film Laila Aur Satt Geet.
- In the same year, he won the Golden Heiner Award for Best Music Documentary at the Krakow Film Festival for his film “Maru Ro Moti”.
- In 2020, he won the Best Director Award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival for his film “Laila Orsatjit”.
Facts/Trivia
- Pushpendra Singh is passionate about the hobby of reading.
- While in school, he developed a keen interest in movies. He revealed in an interview that school staff will screen movies for students on weekends. Not only did he watch the movie, he also worked hard to recreate the scenes, including the dialogue. He said of this matter:
I studied in a boarding school and every Saturday we screened Hindi movies. Occasionally we see Malayalam or Hollywood movies. But, it was during the holidays that I saw Pather Panchali on Doordarshan and connected with the images, even though it was in Bengali. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education